The Emperor of Portugalia eBook

Katrina saw August standing there and made a pretext
of going to the well for water in order to speak to
him; but the lad did not appear to see her, so Katrina
immediately went back into the house.

Then in a little while Jan came down from the forest
with an armful of wood, and when August saw him coming
he stepped to one side until he, too, had gone in;
then he went back to the gate.

Presently the window of the hut swung open, disclosing
Jan seated at one side of the window-table smoking
his pipe, and Katrina at the other side, knitting.

“Well, Katrina dear,” said Jan, “now
we’re having a real cosy evening. There’s
only one thing I wish for.”

“I wish for a hundred things!” sighed
Katrina, “and if I could have them all I’d
still be unsatisfied.”

“But I only wish the seine-maker, or somebody
else who can read, would drop in and read us Glory
Goldie’s letter.”

“You’ve had that letter read to you so
many times since you got it that you ought to know
it by heart.”

“That may be true enough,” returned Jan,
“but still it always does me good to hear it
read, for then I feel as though the little girl herself
were standing and talking to me, and I seem to see
her eyes beam on me as I listen to her words.”

“I wouldn’t mind hearing it again, myself,”
said Katrina, glancing out through the open window.
“But on a fine light evening like this we can’t
expect folks to come to our hut.”

“It would be better to me than the taste of
white bread with coffee to hear Glory Goldie’s
letter read while I’m sitting here smoking,”
declared Jan, “but I’m sure every one in
the Ashdales has grown tired of being asked to read
the letter over and over, and now I don’t know
who to turn to.”

The words were hardly out of his mouth, when the door
opened, and in walked August Daer Nol. Jan started
in surprise.

“Bless me! Here you come, my dear August,
just when wanted.” After Jan had shaken
hands with the caller and pulled up a chair for him
he said: “I’ve got a letter I’d
like you to read to us. It’s from an old
schoolmate of yours. Maybe you’d be interested
to hear how she’s getting on?”

August Daer Nol took the letter and read it aloud,
lingering over each word as if drinking it in.
When he had finished, Jan remarked:

“How wonderfully well you read, my dear August!
I’ve never heard Goldie’s words sound
as beautiful as from your lips. Would you do
me the favour to read the letter once more?”

Then the boy read the letter for the second time,
with the same deep feeling. It was as if he had
come with a thirst-parched throat to a spring of pure
water. When he had read to the end he carefully
folded the letter and smoothed it over with his hand.
As he was about to return it to Jan, it occurred to
him the letter had not been properly folded and he
must do it over. That done, he sat very silent.
Jan tried to start a conversation, but failed.
Finally the boy rose to go.